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Hunting with Dogs
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government's support for a ban on hunting with hounds is dependent on the findings of the committee of inquiry he has set up to look into the issue. [99120]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The purpose of the inquiry is for the facts about hunting properly to be decided and to inform the debate. The issue of hunting with hounds will be a matter for a free vote for all Members of Parliament, including members of the Government.
Correspondence
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Christchurch dated 26 July about Mrs. Seaward. [99465]
Mrs. Roche: I am very sorry that the hon. Member has not received a reply to his letter. This is a complicated and involved case and I will write to him as soon as possible.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 10 September from the hon. Member for Christchurch concerning the visa application of Victoriano Sarmiento. [99464]
Mrs. Roche: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 15 November 1999.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Child Care
Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of further education students received help with child care costs through access funds in 1999-2000 and 1998-99. [98671]
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Mr. Wicks:
We estimate that in 1998-99 around four per cent. of students with a dependent child received help with child care costs from the FE Access Fund or from the Further Education Funding Council tariff scheme, which provided approximately 18,000 students with free child care. In 1999-2000 the FE Access Fund will be increased almost four-fold to £36 million and the FEFC direct child care support will be boosted by an additional £5 million. No figures are yet available for 1999-2000 on numbers of students assisted.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to require universities to conduct research in respect of their compliance with Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights and relevant sections of the Human Rights Act 1998; and if he will make a statement. [98524]
Mr. Wicks:
As bodies receiving public funding, universities must ensure that they operate in a manner which adheres to the Human Rights Act 1998. As autonomous organisations, universities are responsible for monitoring their own admission and operating policies and as such should ensure their own compliance with the Human Rights Act. The Government and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, do not, at present, have any plans to investigate this issue.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what analysis he has made of the reasons for the real terms fall in education expenditure in 1998-99, as compared with 1997-98, shown in his Department's Statistical Bulletin 10/99. [98641]
Mr. Wicks:
The Budget for 1998-99 would have provided an increase of just £182 million for schools--a 1.5 per cent. cut in real terms. As a result of early action by this Administration, that increase was raised to over £1 billion--an increase of 5.6 per cent., or 3 per cent. in real terms. In doing so we averted the potential loss of an estimated 15,000 teachers between 1997-98 and 1998-99 and saw teacher numbers rise by 4,000. This meant that instead of the pupil:teacher ratio worsening from 18.9 to an estimated 19.5, it improved to 18.8.
In addition, we introduced the New Deal for Schools, providing an extra £1.1 billion for repair of school buildings. Between 1998-99 and 2001-02 we are doubling capital spending in schools.
The Comprehensive Spending Review, announced in July 1998, meant an extra £16 billion for education in England over the three years from 1999-2000. By the end of the Parliament, we will be spending 17 per cent. more in real terms on education than in 1997-98. In the first two budgets of this Government, spending per pupil has increased in real terms by £80 and by 2001-02 it will have increased by £220. The 1997-98 budget was decided and allocated before May 1997 and is the responsibility of the previous administration.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what arrangements he has put in place to ensure a common approach to the
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intensification of research selectivity between higher education funding bodies responsible for the various constituent parts of the United Kingdom. [99121]
Mr. Wicks:
The four higher education funding bodies jointly sponsor the UK-wide Research Assessment Exercise, and allocate over 90 per cent. of research funding according to its outcomes. The assessment process is identical in all parts of the UK, and in each case the key determinants in calculating an institution's grant are the quality and volume of its research.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the (a) cost and (b) number of beneficiaries of making Home Responsibilities Protection automatic for all recipients of Invalid Care Allowance. [98457]
Mr. Bayley:
Recipients of Invalid Care Allowance are credited with Class 1 National Insurance contributions for each week for which they get this benefit. They would derive no additional benefit from Home Responsibilities Protection.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the compliance by the Turkish Government with each article of the United Nations Convention on Human Rights. [98596]
Mr. Vaz:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not in itself a legally binding convention. However, it sets the framework for the six core international human rights treaties. We urge Turkey to ratify and fully implement these treaties.
We monitor the situation in Turkey closely and are in regular contact with non-governmental human rights organisations. We seek to ensure that the Turkish Government is fully aware of the importance we attach to countries complying with those international human rights mechanisms to which they have signed up.
Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Turkey over the Kurdish problem. [98820]
Mr. Vaz:
We regularly raise human rights issues in our bilateral discussions with the Turkish government. We have repeatedly stressed to the Turkish authorities that a lasting solution to the conflict in south east Turkey can come about only if the Turkish government addresses the social and economic problems of the south east and the aspirations of the Kurdish population there.
Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the prospects for displaced Kurds to return to their villages in Turkey. [98819]
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Mr. Vaz:
Village clearances in south east Turkey have virtually ceased since 1997. We welcome that, and the Turkish authorities' recent efforts to encourage re-population of these villages. Since repairs to key infrastructure, several thousand Kurds have begun to return. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what negotiations he has had with the Government of Bulgaria over possible closure dates for the four nuclear power station units at its Kozloduy power plant; and if he will make a statement. [98741]
Mr. Vaz:
We strongly support G7 and EU efforts to improve nuclear safety in Central and Eastern Europe. Within the EU, the Commission is leading the negotiations with the Bulgarian Government over closure dates for units 1-4 at Kozloduy nuclear power plant, as part of the wider EU enlargement process. Our Ambassador in Sofia has encouraged the Bulgarians to work with the Commission on a realistic timetable for closure of units 1-4, in line with Bulgaria's international commitments, including its Accession Partnership within the EU. We strongly support the Commission's efforts to secure an agreement with the Bulgarians on this issue.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures Her Majesty's Government have put in place to ensure the freezing of funds and financial resources of senior UNITA officials and adult members of their immediate families to comply with United Nations Security Council resolution 1173 (1998). [99157]
Mr. Hain:
I refer my hon. Friend to the speech on Angola I made on 20 November 1999, a copy of which I have placed in the Library. Following adoption of UN Security Council resolution 1173 (1998), the Angola (United Nations Sanctions) Order 1998 (SI 1998/1752) came into force on 23 July. It imposes restrictions on certain actions making available or otherwise transferring funds and financial resources to or to the benefit of UNITA as an organisation or senior officials of UNITA or adult members of their immediate families.
The Angola (United Nations) (Dependent Territories) Order 1998 (SI 1998/1753) implements these measures in the Overseas Territories. The Angola (United Nations Sanctions) (Channel Islands) Order 1998 (SI 1998/1756) and the Angola (United Nations Sanctions) (Isle of Man) Order 1998 (SI 1998/1757) implements these measures in the Crown Dependencies.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance Her Majesty's Government have given to the work of the United Nations Panel of Experts on Angola sanctions with regard to their investigations into (a) UNITA arms purchases, (b) UNITA oil purchases and (c) UNITA diamond sales. [99159]
Mr. Hain:
We fully support the work of the UN Sanctions Committee on Angola and the Expert Panels and will make a financial contribution in the region of $200,000 towards the cost of the Expert Panels' work.
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Government officials recently met members of the Panels during a visit to the UK and will hold discussions with the Chairman of the Expert Panels during his visit to the UK in December. We remain in close liaison with Ambassador Fowler, Chairman of the Sanctions Committee.
I refer my hon. Friend to the speech on Angola I made on 20 November 1999, a copy of which I have placed in the Library.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures Her Majesty's Government have put in place to ensure the prohibition of direct and indirect imports from Angola to the United Kingdom of diamonds that are not controlled through the Certificate of Origin regime of the Angolan Government to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1173 (1998). [99156]
Mr. Hain:
Following adoption of UN Security Council resolution 1173 (1998), the Open General Import Licence was amended to prohibit the import into the UK of diamonds exported from Angola not accompanied by a Certificate of Origin issued by the Government of Unity and National Reconciliation of Angola (GURN).
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what involvement Her Majesty's Government will have in the new United Nations Office in Angola to be established, pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1268 (1999). [99162]
Mr. Hain:
We voted in favour of UNSC Resolution 1268 establishing the United Nations Office in Angola (UNOA). As a major contributor to the United Nations, we will be providing funds for UNOA in accordance with our budgetary responsibilities. The detail of UNOA's staffing and tasks are under discussion between the UN Secretary-General and the Government of Angola.
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